"Young Greens Council is responsible for the governance and strategic oversight of the Young Greens of Canada. What does this mean to you?"
Responses are added as they are submitted by the contestants. Stay tuned!
Liana Canton Cusmano, candidate for YGC Co-Chair
Being responsible for governance and strategic oversight means asking questions and really listening to the answers. It means considering all the players and factors involved in a dispute, or in a partnership, or in a budget, and proceeding accordingly. It means understanding that Young Greens in high school will be mobilised differently than those in university, that agreements with non-profits will be established differently than those with small businesses. Good governance involves asking Young Greens what their financial or organizational needs are and encouraging them to be expansive, knowing that some of us have been conditioned to take up less space. Sound strategy will include fostering safe spaces, where individuals feel that they will not only be heard but supported, because a close-knit team of people who share strong bonds will be just as important as a campaign strategy come election time. An effective Young Greens Council will work closely with the Federal Council and be in regular contact with EDAs, so that these collaborations carry us into the next election with a wide network of active Young Greens primed to mount, lead and be the faces of local campaigns. Good governance and strategic oversight are intersectional and anti-oppressive. They are a team effort.They are critical to change.
Stuart Hunter, candidate for YGC Co-Chair
This means that as a council we represent the interest of Young Greens and make decisions in the interest of the party and the YGC. This applies both to YGC Council and to Federal Council, where Co-Chairs serve ex officio. Council members must be engaged in what is happening in the party, carefully consider decisions, and work together to achieve consensus. There is a special responsibility for Co-Chairs to ensure that the YGC Council is working cohesively, functioning effectively, and making good governance decisions. This is a priority for me, which is why I serve on the FC Governance Committee and chair the YGC Governance Committee. I have been working to improve both councils' governance procedures since I was first elected in 2018 and I would really appreciate it if you supported me in continuing this work, as we have a lot left to do.
On "strategic oversight," the actual responsibility of YGC Council as laid out in the YGC Bylaws is missing from this question, namely "providing strategic advice to the Party" (bylaw 2.1). The Co-Chairs are responsible for speaking on behalf of the YGC on Federal Council and advocating for youth within the party generally. I wouldn't say that this provision has been taken seriously by everyone in the party, but the situation is gradually improving and I will continue to work toward living up to that responsibility. Having existing relationships with members of various Party entities is extremely helpful in this pursuit.
Kiara Nazon, candidate for YGC Co-Chair
At the heart of governance is not only the question of who has the power to make decisions, but more importantly how the collective (in this case Young Greens) can make their voices heard in how things are run. It's how we bring ourselves together to make decisions and an impact as a whole.
When it comes to the Young Greens Council, this means a few things. Our job, in short, is to make sure that the Party knows that youth are not just the future, but the present-we are here now, and we have important things to say and contributions to make. Young Greens Council's purpose is to bring forward and promote the inclusion of youth voices in every aspect of the Party-from policy and platform of the Party to the work of our caucus in Parliament. This means that YGC Council must listen to all Young Greens and make sure to amplify their voices so they are heard, and making sure they are represented in the strategic goals of the council. The YGC Council is also tasked with making sure that the Party is supporting youth and is fostering an environment where young people across the country feel not just encouraged to get involved, but actively supported.
Samantha Burns, candidate for YGC Nova Scotia Representative
I'm very fortunate to have met and maintained friendships with many members of the Young Greens Council, and in all of them I saw inspiring leaders who were working hard to make sure the youth of their respective provinces felt heard and represented. I was one of those youth who felt heard and empowered by the responsibility youth are given within the Green Party of Canada's governance structure, and in election campaigns across the country, and felt encouraged to run for the Nova Scotia Representative on the Young Greens Council.
As a prospective Young Green Council member, governance and strategic oversight of the Young Greens of Canada, to me, means being an inclusive leader, who listens, puts in the work to make changes and collaborates with other youth across the country to reflect the actions and changes youth in our provinces want to see. I want to be there to help Young Greens set up campus clubs, get ready to vote for the first time, organize beach clean-ups, and ultimately get more Greens elected so we can start seeing the change in our parliamentary system that we know will make an impact on the issues we care about like climate change, social justice, Indigenous rights and more. I want to share with Greens across Canada what Nova Scotian Young Greens are experiencing and what they want to see from their Federal party. Each voice has value, and I want to help amplify those voices.
Grace Zhu, candidate for YGC Ontario Representative
The purpose of the Young Greens Council is to engage, support and represent the young voters in the Green Party of Canada. For me, this means fostering an environment that encourages youth participation and being a voice that advocates for the next generation. Political discourse, in the status quo, is primarily dominated by an older generation of politicians who, in turn, have created a political system that shuts out young individuals -- particularly high schoolers. However, I believe that high school students are the Green Party's greatest untapped resource. In my experience, high schoolers bring unmatched energy, optimism, creativity and dedication, willing to show up week after week to push campaigns forward. Unfortunately, many of them are unaware of opportunities for political activism largely because of a lack of party outreach across the political spectrum. If elected onto the council, I want to make high schoolers a priority in Young Green engagement strategy. In addition, the Youth Council must represent the complete range of Green individuals under the age of 30, including youth who do not yet have the right to vote. Under 18-year-olds face unique problems such as education cuts and recreation resource shortages. Currently, the absence of representation for adolescents on the council means these issues are neither adequately addressed nor discussed. My goal is to bring the high school perspective to the Youth Council to ensure it truly reflects the entire age group it is suppose to speak for.